The Bassil and The Island of Ra K'han
The bassil, (plural: bassil) , are a reptilian humanoid race from the moderately large island of Ra K'han, located just off the shore of Lylrue. They are usually described as very tall, 6-7 feet tall on average, have aquatic fins that protrude from their elbows, ears, in large crests above their heads and at the end of their long tails, straight out, unlike the fluke of a fish. They are usually very fit, for reasons of their culture and lifestyle, as mainly hunters, promoting it quite heavily. Some are described as having horns on the top of their heads, always in pairs and always very aerodynamically curved backwards. The vast majority are described as being quite intelligent and extremely peaceful, for being lizards. Basic Info The bassil are rather unstructured, and live in small communities of up to 20 individuals. They have no rulers and no real structured social hierarchy, but rather live with freedom and general mindfulness of what's wrong and right, with the other bassil acting as enforcers. This works for them, despite what you may think, since the communities often communicate with each other and check in on each other and trade. Despite popular myth, bassil do not have gills, breath air and are simply able to hold their breath for a long time as they swim - almost 45 minutes. And despite even more popular myth, the thin layer of slime covering their skin is to repel parasites, leeches and mosquitoes. Bassil are inherently weak to electricity and frost, by nature of their mucus-covered scales and their water-bound tendencies, but are quite resistant to fire for the same reasons. Bassil have a tendency to use magic themselves, as well, since it works better in the wet and thick underbrush than a sword or bow most likely will and they have a higher tendency than other races to be naturally magically adept - though some lizard souls still use sword and bows in the more open plains part of the island. The bassil's scales, which are not very thick to begin with, are also easily parted by spears and other such stab motions, which makes them more effective on them. The noises bassil make, other than speech, can be compared to the light trill and chirp of an early morning songbird, or the guttural growl and hiss of an angry reptilian. Here is an example of one growling, since that may not be very easy to picture. Example. World Relations They are a quiet and indifferent race, choosing to stay mostly isolated on their island of Ra K'han and not meddle into the world's affairs; though they do not shun and in-fact quite welcome travelers. Though, when presented with an opportunity to learn, they are a very curious and inquisitive kind. They are something of a rarity outside of their homelands and are usually found in tropically-warm places, otherwise, seeing as they have a hard time with the cold. Bassil tourists are -- more often-than-not -- totally misinformed about the world outside of their island and are very curious to learn. The Waterlogg Tree The bassil are about at the metallurgy stage of civilization, being able to cast things from iron and make steel for their needs. They don't use it often, as they have their own hardwood trees that match near the same strength, but they do use it for waterproofing things and for things that need to be somewhat sanitary, like cooking utensils. They have a tree, called "waterlogg", which is exclusive only to the island and can only survive in very wet and marshy places, that they use to make near everything out of because it is a ridiculously sturdy wood and almost matches many metal creations with flying colors. Though it is not very waterproof and will soak up water like a sponge as one of the tree's ways of dealing with floodwaters. They soak up water and disperse it underground through their roots so they don't drown, and the lumber made from this tree carries the same property of soaking up fluids and releasing them through the bottom of the wood. These trees also produce a "sack" from the branches, about four times as big as an apple, and it glows a soft orange at night, because of the make-up of the sap inside. It is made from waterproofed fibers and leaf-material, hangs down and is filled with their sap, which is really watery because of the large amount of water they intake from the marshes. The bassil often use these as carry bags, because of their waterproof properties and decent carry size, though they aren't fit for waterproofing things since they don't like to stick to things using any of their methods and come undone easily. The Island Of Ra K'han Their island (technically archipelago, though this about the main island), Ra K'han, is covered in thick marshes and tall trees, the undergrowth stopping most from traversing it. In-fact, it is so marshy and swampy and wet, there has been a new name invented for it. The floodmarsh. The air is warm, the water mostly clear, and the animals mostly peaceful. As the top species, the bassil have driven out other usual reptilians like snakes and crocodilians from the island and keep hold on it. It is quite peaceful and serene, if you don't mind the mosquitoes. It is often hit by sea-faring storms and rain, about once every 2-3 years. Because of this, much of wildlife and plantlife here have ways of dealing with the severe weather and still surviving. The trees have extremely sturdy roots, even more-so than the irony trunks of them, which the bassil often dig up and use to make handles for their tools and weapons, the other plants usually hitch a ride on the tree's roots or are very low to the ground, and the wildlife burrows quite often. The other islands are arranged around Ra K'han, in the way so they're shaped like a claw. They are known as, from bottom-left to top-right, Ru An, Rau An, Ro An and Rey An. Ra K'han means "first in charge" and the rest are sequential from that. 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Home Sweet Home The homes the bassil make don't amount to much more than long docks made of raw logs that sit above the marshy water's surface on support poles. They usually don't have much in the way of walls, except for something to support a thatch roof over where they sleep and do other things, like cook in casted iron pots and have libraries. They don't need walls because they have their own natural protection against the things nature throws at them and it makes them far easier to rebuild, when the occasional hurricane sweeps the island. There is always one dock that connects to the shore and they are always in shallow water, as they are very picky with where they place them. The beds they sleep on are also thatchen and small, though it is not uncommon to see bassil quite close together at night -- it seems they like to huddle together for warmth. Weather-Worn Speaking of hurricanes, many homeland Ra K'han bassil have shelters that they go to in the event of one of these. Most amount to holes dug to be habitable until the storm blows over, at which point they can come out and get right to work undoing any damage caused to their homes. Bassi Lisk There is one bassil to note: Bassian Geora Liskus. She's a traveler, a very rare thing among bassil, and roams around the mainland continents trying to take in the world and see what she can, taking jobs where she can. She's quite pleasant to be around, very charming and kind. She has a way of convincing people. She's the closest thing to an ambassador Ra K'han will ever have, and gives the bassil quite a good name among her wake. Like many bassil before her, she is a fire mage, and wields her powers very proudly. Additional Info Additional extra, their tongues can be up to a foot long and they are omnivorous, with a really large range of diet that's larger than humans, and can even survive some mild poisons. As a footnote, the native language of the bassil, which very very very few people outside of hardcore linguists and the bassil themselves know, will be substituted with gaelic. You can use Google Translate, just don't be stupid with it. 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